From ‘Lihaaf’ to ‘Fire’: How Bollywood Retitled Queer Muslim History Under Hindu Names

Lihaaf to Fire: Bollywood Propaganda

When Deepa Mehta released her controversial film Fire in 1996, it ignited intense civil and political backlash across India. Demonstrators attacked cinema halls, vandalized posters, and demanded blanket bans. Protesters claimed that depicting a romantic and physical relationship between two women in a traditional Hindu household dishonored sacred religious iconography and violated Indian cultural norms. … Read more